Fateful Halloween
by Ginia Malfoy
Summary: It's Halloween night. A night of fun and frights. But a chance meeting between two enemies brings about unexpected feelings, and teaches them that destiny and fate are two different creatures. DG
1. The Masked Ball

I have been wanting to post this story every Halloween since OOtP came out, and every Halloween since I've let the opportunity pass me by. Unfortunately, the plot line doesn't fit into the events of HBP. So please bear with me and imagine that HBP has not taken place. If I don't post it this year, I fear it will never be posted.

I do not own anything that rightfully belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

_**Fateful Halloween **_

By: Ginia Malfoy

_**Chapter 1 The Masked Ball**_

She had no wand, no escape. The door was meters away, and Draco was closing in on her. Ginny Weasley jumped involuntarily as she backed into the table in the middle of the room, and the Slytherin seized upon the opportunity with dizzying agility.

Ginny flinched, covering her face with her arms, as Draco pinned her roughly with his body, the heat radiating from his skin burning through the thin material of her nightgown. She was frightened, not knowing what this man was capable of, especially after the stunt she'd just pulled, and wondered for what seemed like the thousandth time how in the world she'd gotten into this mess.

* * *

Ginny hummed softly to herself as she made her way down a deserted corridor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. High heeled shoes swung in her hand, and the taffeta of her dress robes rustled along with the sound of her bare feet clapping on the cold stone floor. She pulled the pins out of her flaming red hair causing a cascade of extricated curls to fall down her back, and soon the beautiful mask she was wearing was hanging around her neck by its cord.

At the welcoming feast earlier that year, Dumbledore had announced that there would be a masked ball, and the date had finally arrived. It was Halloween; night of haunts, frights, and a whole lot of fun.

Ginny had been Dean Thomas's date even though they had split early on in the year. The break was mutual and amicable, so they hadn't really seen a reason to hassle with finding new dates when they had already agreed to go together.

She remembered back a few hours when she was standing in front of a full-length mirror in her dorm room. Fred and George had bought their 'favorite baby sister' a beautiful new set of dress robes. Her muggleborn roommate, Devon Ashton, had called it a Cinderella dress, but as the redhead had no clue who this Cinderella woman was (only assured that the story had involved some magic), she settled with just thinking it beautiful.

Simple and strapless with a full skirt, it was made of muted silver taffeta, and had an elaborate rhinestoned mask to go with it. Devon had helped her twist her hair into an elegant upsweep, and Ginny had been ready to descend the stairs right on time.

Dean had complimented her and she had gladly returned it, as she noticed a very beautiful Hermione on the arm of her beaming brother. Harry had stood behind them, ever handsome at seventeen, but completely preoccupied as he stared longingly at his two best friends. Ginny offered him a weak smile while taking Dean's arm, having known what it felt like to admire someone from afar.

They had made it to the Great Hall earlier than most of the other students because the Headboy and girl, and their dates, were to dance the first dance, thus officially opening the ball. It had been to everyone's surprise then, when Draco Malfoy, the Headboy, swiftly descended on Hermione, the Headgirl, and pulled her onto the dance floor as the first notes began to permeate the air.

The hall had silenced in seconds as the students stood open-mouthed at the sight. Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, who had barely been able to speak civilly to Hermione…well, ever…was willingly and gracefully dancing with her in front of the entire school. Ginny noticed Ron snap out of his momentary stupor and begin exhibiting the telltale signs of a Weasley temper tantrum, so she had kept an eye on him as Dean began to lead her in a dance. A murmur had begun among the crowd, and couples had soon joined the oddity.

As the song came to a close, the Slytherin had swirled Hermione over to her boyfriend and deftly spun her into his arms before disappearing into the crowd of dancing couples.

Only two hours later, Ginny had already become exhausted, having stayed up all the night before doing mountains of homework. She had found herself nodding in a chair away from the dancers, and had decided that a bed was probably a better place for her to be.

She had tried to say goodbye to someone, but had found Ron and Hermione dancing together, Devon and a Hufflepuff boy jazzing it up, and Dean dancing with a very nice girl from Ravenclaw. Not wishing to disturb anyone's fun, she had turned to go and saw Harry standing alone by the doors leading out of the hall. He was still watching his two best friends, and Ginny offered him yet another reassuring smile. He had returned it weakly that time, and waved a bit as she'd breezed through the doors and into the entrance hall.

She was now wandering the halls, disassembling her outfit as she went. The dorms were not a place she wanted to sleep tonight, as five gabbing girls would be coming in during the small hours. Crashing in Hermione's room was out of the question as well; she didn't want to be there when the head girl and her brother burst in doing who knows what.

She required a soft bed in a comfy surrounding, and she knew just the place that she would find it.

* * *

The door appeared as Ginny passed it for the third time, and she gratefully entered, stopping short inside the doorway to the Room of Requirement.

Though she'd never actually used the space as a private bedroom before, the décor was decidedly different than what she'd expected. Instead of the light yellow walls and crisp cotton sheets she'd been imagining, the room was filled with dark woods and rich fabrics. The only light came from a roaring fire blazing in a grand fireplace, which was casting great flickering shadows on the walls.

Shrugging to herself, Ginny tossed her shoes, mask, and other discarded items into the seat of a nearby chair. Turning back to the door, she imagined a key, which soon appeared, and which she turned until she heard the reassuring click of the lock. She then crossed the room and sat herself in front of the inviting hearth to warm up her frozen toes.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but she suddenly snapped her head up and realized she must have been dozing again. The thought of pajamas entered her mind, and a silky silver nightgown materialized beside her.

Examining the thing queerly, she shrugged again and unzipped the robe bodice before pulling the negligee on over her head. Ginny stood and pushed the dress to the floor, letting the nightie fall, rather shortly, into its proper place. The redhead smiled to herself. She had to admit that she felt sexier than her usual flannel PJs allowed.

"That was a magnificent show you put on," a velvety voice drawled, startling Ginny out of her musings. "But then I remembered that you **_are_** a Weasley, and had to fight to keep from vomiting."


	2. A Surprising Slytherin

**_Chapter 2 A Surprising Slytherin, or Surprising the Slytherin_** (How very Rocky and Bullwinkle of me)

Ginny spun around at the first sound of the voice, and found Draco Malfoy almost completely hidden in one of the immense armchairs sitting in front of the fireplace.

"Why didn't I guess?" Ginny said acidly, angry at herself for not recognizing the obvious signs, and standing abruptly to face her enemy. "I didn't think I could get into this room if it was already occupied. Why didn't you lock the bloody door? It would have saved us both some misery."

"Obviously, we have both come searching for the same thing tonight," Draco stated, keeping his seat. The spite of his first words had left his tone and had taken on a hollow disinterest. Ginny only stared. It had been a peculiar turn of events, but Draco's personality had taken on a placid condition from the beginning of the year. The insults and snide remarks which were usually received by her and her friends had diminished almost completely, and even when attempted, they were never very clever and usually sounded half-hearted.

"Well, I did not come searching for you. That's certain," the redhead spat.

"Touchy are we?" the blond said dismissively.

"I'm tired…" Ginny said dejectedly, flopping back down on the hearth rug. "I just want to go to sleep. Why can't you go to your own bloody room, Mr. Big-Head-Boy? It is private after all."

"You're whining," Draco stated indifferently, ignoring her insult.

The redhead opened her mouth to vehemently defend her character, but a low rumble issuing from her midsection answered first.

"You're hungry too," the young man continued, with one blond eyebrow arched.

Again, Ginny opened her mouth to protest, and again she never got to speak. The words stuck in her throat as she stared at a magnificent feast that had materialized on the large round table that stood in the dead center of the room.

Now that she thought about it, Ginny realized how long it had been since she had actually eaten. Because she'd stayed up all night, the thought of breakfast that morning had made her feel ill, and after her morning classes were over, Devon had practically dragged her to the dorms to prep for the night's festivities during the free afternoon, thus obliterating thoughts of lunch. Adrenaline had been her nourishment, and it wasn't until now that she realized it had been nearly twenty-four hours, twenty-four hours spent awake, since she'd really eaten.

In her quest for sleep, she hadn't even realized that she'd left the ball before dinner had been served. Her mouth watered and her stomach again demanded food as the tantalizing smells began to tease her nose.

She walked over to the table, and was surprised to find Draco behind a chair, pulling it out for her to sit. Shooting him a suspicious look, but murmuring a weak 'thank you,' she allowed herself to be gently pushed to the table. She loaded her plate with delicious food and had already tucked in when she looked up at the blond, who had seated himself in a chair across the table. He was watching her intently, and Ginny suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Searching for something to break the silence, Ginny asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"No," the young man replied simply.

After a few seconds of fruitlessly waiting for him to elaborate, Ginny finally managed an, "Oh…"

She was now not only very uncomfortable, but also extremely self conscious. Fighting fire with fire seemed rather appealing, so she donned a very good rendition of his smirk and asked conversationally, "So why are you hiding out in here instead of your own room, Malfoy?"

"What's your name?" Draco countered, seeming to find no other way to dodge the question.

"Weasley."

"I'm perfectly aware of that," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I meant your first name."

"**_I_** was perfectly aware of that," Ginny replied coolly. "It's none of your business."

"None of your business. That's lovely. Is it a family name?" he retorted without hesitation.

Ginny almost laughed at his wit, but managed to control her amusement to an involuntary smile. "Ginevra. Call me Ginny, everybody does."

"I wasn't actually planning to call you by your first name, Weasley."

"Then why did you bother asking, Malfoy?" the redhead hissed, glaring at him as he smirked back. She returned her attention to her meal, but after a few minutes said, "You never answered my question. Why aren't you in your room?"

"Because they can't find me here," he stated immediately, his tone full of malice for the unknown offenders.

"Who can't find you here?" she repeated conversationally, knowing her curiosity would annoy him.

"Well she can't, for one. She's too dimwitted to find the Astronomy Tower, much less this place," he said with slight irritation.

"She?" the devious redhead asked, now feigning little interest.

"Parkinson, of course," he replied.

"Oh…is she the reason you danced with Hermione, or could you not get a date?"

"No," he replied scathingly. "I didn't find a date because I didn't want to go, but because I'm Headboy I had to open the bloody dance, didn't I? The ridiculous traditions this school enforces…"

"Yes, well, if you'd gone with Parkinson you wouldn't have had to dance with Hermione."

"And I'd still be there miserable out of my skull. I'd rather dance with Granger any day."

Ginny took a moment to size the surprising Slytherin up. She could not have imagined a time when the prejudiced young man sitting across from her would rather dance with a muggleborn Gryffindor than a pureblood Slytherin. Yet his appearance was still as haughty as it had ever been, that at least was one characteristic that Draco had maintained.

He was still in his dress robes, black of course, and the thick velvet hugged his toned contours. Ginny felt her face grow red at the thoughts that involuntarily ran through her mind while she examined the blond, but realized too late that she was being less than discreet in her observations.

"Why don't you just take a picture if you like what you see so much?" Draco asked, the irritation on his face replaced with a smirk.

Recovering quickly, the redhead returned her attention to her dinner and said flatly, "What makes you think I enjoyed what I saw?"

"I know women."

"You know arrogance."

"I saw the look in your eyes."

Ginny fixed her now fiery gaze with his. "And what look might that be, Malfoy?" she asked in a dangerous voice.

"Desire," the blond replied brazenly, a half grin spreading over his face.

Ginny laughed out loud. "Desire?" she choked out, pushing aside her empty plate. "You think I want you?"

The blond stood, leaning over the table until his face was inches from hers.

"Don't you?"

Ginny's eyes betrayed her shock, slight fear, and indeed, her desire at being so close to him. A split second later, the brown orbs hardened, and an angry flush spread over her face.

"You may be a Weasley, but I'll try to overcome the gag reflex. Honestly, it's hard being male sometimes, we're always thinking with our-"

She stood abruptly, cutting his comments off. Throwing him a backwards glare, she stalked across the room to the bathroom situated next to the fireplace. All she required was supplied to her as she brushed her hair and teeth, and got ready to sleep.

Malfoy had infuriated her beyond reason, trying to charm, insult, and trap her all at once. Ginny was loathe to admit that her curiosity had indeed been piqued by the insufferable Slytherin, but couldn't avoid the thought when her mind wandered back to his lean body in those dress robes.

Shaking her head clear of the image, she mentally berated herself and then stared at her reflection in the mirror for several moments, deep in thought. Yes, Draco was handsome. Yes, he was manipulative and cruel. Yes, he was arrogant and condescending. He needed to be taught a lesson. A smirk suddenly crossed Ginny's face…she was going to have her vengeance and settle her curiosity at the same time.

All thought of exhaustion left her as she considered the different ways in which she could initiate her plan. She wasn't worried about putting her reputation into the hands of the most notorious womanizer in the entire school; if she played her part right, she was guaranteed that he would never tell a soul about his encounter with her. Who said Gryffindor's couldn't be conniving?

Exiting the bathroom, she found Draco sitting in the large chair he had been concealed in when she had first arrived. Her resolve faltered.

"Is there any chance that you'll be leaving tonight?" she asked imploringly, half hoping that he would agree, but knowing he wouldn't.

Draco gave her a condescending look and didn't bother to answer.

Ginny hesitated for a moment. The time to put her plan into action or leave the Room of Requirement had arrived.

"Why haven't you asked me to leave?"

"Call it my generous nature," he replied dismissively. Ginny gave a short snort of indignation.

"Oh, yes. I've heard it well spoken of," she replied sarcastically, sitting again upon the hearth rug near his feet.

"Why are you still here?" he asked in irritation.

Ginny was a little hurt, even if it was Malfoy. "Do you want me to leave?"

Draco gave her a quick look as if to size her up. "No," he replied. "I meant, why are you willingly staying here with me? Why are you even trying to talk to me? What made you come here in the first place?"

"I was tired and I wanted a place away from my friends to have a good rest. You just happened to be here too. I'm talking to you because I'm trying to make this arrangement work."

"And what arrangement might that be?" the blond asked with his smirk firmly in place again. When Ginny gave no reaction to his innuendo, he rolled his eyes and said, "The bed is back there if you're so tired."

"And where are you going to sleep?" she asked, truly curious.

"Where do you want me to sleep?" he countered in a suggestive voice.

"Are money, power, and sex the only things you care about?" the redhead asked brazenly, tired of his innuendos.

"Excuse me?" Draco asked, sounding incredulous.

"I said, are money, power, and-"

"Don't presume to know anything about my life just because you've talked to me for half an hour, Weasley," he replied more forcefully than was necessary. Apparently, she had hit upon a touchy subject.

"Oh, I'm not making any presumptions based on the last half hour, Malfoy," Ginny replied almost sweetly. "I'm making astute observations based on the encounters I've had with you over the last six years. But if I'm wrong…enlighten me."

"Watch your mouth, or I **_will_** chuck you out. You don't know anything, so hold your tongue."

Ginny kept her face impassive as she held Draco's steady glare. She didn't know who had the upper hand in the conversation. The exchange had at last hardened her resolve to put the conceited Slytherin in his place.

She stood gracefully, and felt his eyes follow her. "I'll hold my tongue," she replied, a little sick about what she was about to say. "If you give me something else to do with it." As she spoke, she daintily deposited herself into his lap, a little nervous with his proximity.

A momentary look of surprise was quickly replaced by a smirk on his smug face as he shifted her closer to him. "I think I've made myself plain on that point," he said sardonically, making Ginny hesitate.

Forced to follow through or risk his retaliation, the redhead smiled impishly at him before bringing her lips to his. He attacked her almost painfully, and Ginny instantly realized that she had been a fool to attempt her little trick. Suddenly, however, Draco paused, and slowly pulled away from her. She was sure that he had felt her uneasiness and was about to insult her for her timidity, but was surprised when his eyes finally met hers.

Gone was the contempt and smug superiority of his normally cold grey eyes, to be replaced with a look of mingled surprise and barely concealed fear. Ginny had only a moment to fathom the possibilities of such a reaction before Draco was searching out her lips again.

Ginny had braced herself for the onslaught, but was further surprised by a much gentler kiss. He was transformed, no longer demanding, but coaxing; no longer frightening, but alluring. Indeed, she had to concentrate to keep her mind in control as he deepened the kiss, shocked at how much it was affecting her. There had always been sparks with Dean, but these were fireworks of passion and emotion she'd never expected, especially from her nemesis.

His gentle lips began to demand more intensity, and Ginny responded with fervor. Draco placed his arms around her, running his fingers along her back and eliciting shivers with his touch. She unwillingly forced her mind back in control, standing gingerly, but not breaking the kisses. He stood with her as she slowly began to move towards the bed.

Without warning, Draco scooped her up into his steady arms, and walked to the large bed, kissing her breathless all the while. Ginny was placed delicately onto the soft velvet comforter, and was joined immediately by the Slytherin. They lay side by side, kissing and touching, each getting lost in the sensation of the other. When she felt his hand gently brush her breast, Ginny grudgingly snapped to reality and realized that she had to continue following through with her plan.

Taking the initiative, the redhead straddled the blond, who smirked at her eagerness. She slowly unbuttoned the velvet clasps of his dress robes, revealing a smooth, well-built chest. Placing hot open-mouthed kisses on his neck, she began meandering her way lower. A sharp intake of breath issued from Draco's lips, making her grin deviously as she proceeded even lower, smiling as his breath grew more and more ragged.

At last, she opened a closure that revealed the waistband of his boxers. Ginny's plan was at its climax. She moved quickly to extricate him from his robes, pausing to run her hands over his strong bare arms.

He pulled her to him and began kissing her in his maddeningly sensual alteration. She could abandon her plan now and give in to the temptation of the Slytherin Casanova, but then the thought of his jeers flooded her mind. For every sweet kiss he now bestowed upon her, an insult from the past and especially the future pounded through her brain.

Ginny was determined to have her revenge upon the blond, but couldn't help thinking that she was losing out on the deal as well. She went into action.

Draco's desire was unmistakable, and she teased at his waistband for a few moments before abruptly sitting up. He groaned as she intentionally brushed over his erection. Ginny grinned and said very low in his ear, "Have a goodnight, Malfoy. I think I'll sleep in the extra bedroom I'm about to create for myself. And in case you decide to take what I've just denied you, there will be a magical lock on the door."

She rolled off the bed and, still grinning at her own cleverness, asked the Room of Requirement to fashion an extra room just for her.

Nothing happened.

"I need my own room," she said aloud, a hint of panic tingeing her voice, hoping that a verbal command would be more effective.

Again, nothing happened.

Her smile fading, the redhead looked over her shoulder and saw Draco descending from the bed, his face unreadable.

Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat, and practically yelled, "I need my own room…now…please!" When she still lacked any action on her behalf, she turned to face Draco. He was approaching her, and she took several fearful steps in retreat, knowing that she was too far away to make a break for the door. Fear coursed through her body, and she cursed herself for not having a wand.

The frightened redhead jumped involuntarily as she backed into the table in the middle of the room, and Draco seized upon the opportunity with dizzying agility.

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I hope you liked it. Please Review.


	3. Everything Changed

_**Chapter 3 Everything Changed **_

Ginny flinched, covering her face with her arms, as he pinned her roughly with his body. He had left his robes on the bed, and Ginny felt the heat radiating off his skin burn through the thin material of her nightgown. What was he going to do to her? Or more importantly what was he capable of?

After her little stunt, she was sure that he would be hell bent on revenge. She sure would have been, but she had neither his strength nor his sadism. A wave of panic suddenly swept through her at the thought of Draco's wrath, and she began fighting violently to escape.

"Will you bloody stop?" the blond bit out as he pressed her painfully into the table.

"You're hurting me!" Ginny cried, still fighting in vain to extricate herself.

"You're lucky I'm not doing more," Draco said, dodging her fist and taking a firm grip on the other. He managed to capture her other hand, and slammed them both on the table behind her back. The redhead gave an involuntary whimper.

She was helpless, and his hold on her rendered him much closer than she was comfortable with, at least when he had that look in his eyes.

"I'm not – going – to hurt – you," he heaved out. Ginny looked at him in disbelief, her own chest constricting painfully from her exertions.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated, looking her in the eye. She nodded, and he released her hands. She tried to move from between the table and the blond, but he kept her firmly pinned.

Rubbing her wrists, she again wondered why the room had failed to do her bidding.

As if reading her thoughts, Draco said, "The room only obeys me."

"Why?"

"Because I was here first," the blond stated knowingly.

"So you did all of it? The nightgown? Dinner? The key?"

"Yes."

"You let me in then?"

"No, I didn't," he replied. "Like I said, we both came looking for the same thing tonight."

Ginny snorted, "Well, it obviously wasn't solitude."

Draco's smirk broadened and lowered his lips to hers again. She broke it abruptly a split second later, and sputtered, "I did not come looking for a good snog!"

"Didn't you?" the Slytherin asked, with a playful gleam in his eye.

"I couldn't have expected someone to be in here **_to_** snog, so no! Of course not!"

"Geez, girl! Didn't you feel it?" he asked in exasperation, a hint of anger tingeing his voice.

"Feel what?"

"Don't lie!"

"Well maybe if I knew what the hell you were talking about, I might be able to determine whether I bloody felt it or not," she replied hotly.

"You've been around the block a few times - " Draco began.

"Excuse me!" Ginny interrupted, blushing instantly.

"Didn't I just tell you not to lie? I can tell that you have experience."

"Alright, so I'm not a bloody virgin! What does that have to do with this?"

"Hell, Ginevra, when you were kissing me it made me feel more…I can't explain it, but I also can't believe that you're standing there saying you didn't feel it too!" He looked as if he'd regretted what he'd said; as if he'd revealed too much.

Ginny averted her eyes. Yes, she had lost her virginity to Dean, and yes, the feelings Draco elicited were more intense than anything she'd yet experienced.

"It's just lust," she muttered. "You're just saying that to get into my pants."

"The last time I checked," the blond replied, running his hands up her bare thighs and causing her to draw in a sharp shuddering breath, "You weren't wearing any pants."

"You know what I meant, smart ass," she managed between heavy breaths as he ran his hands higher.

"You know, you've really got a mouth," he said before bringing his lips down to hers. She shuddered as his hands swiftly slid the nightdress hem up, exposing her hips. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Ginny gave in to the powerful emotions that claimed her senses whenever he kissed her so sweetly.

The redhead began to lightly draw her fingers along his back, his chest, and his arms, feeling as though she already knew the contours that met her touch. Her efforts spurred Draco to redouble his, moving his lips to her neck and causing tingling waves to shiver through her from head to toe. Suddenly lifting her, he sat her on the table and deposited his body between her legs.

Ginny smiled and pulled him ever closer when she wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing a longing groan. In earnest, he caressed her legs and hips, teasing the waistband of her panties, while worshipping her neck with his lips. Every sigh urged him, and he smiled devilishly as he touched the place between her legs, eliciting an urgent gasp from her lips.

Pushing him back slightly, she met his troubled gaze with her own mischievous grin before removing the silky silver negligee in one deft motion. His troubled expression did not fade however, not even when he swept his eyes over her nearly bare body and she saw them darken with desire.

"What's the matter?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious.

Reaching out to caress her face, but looking away from her, the blond said, "You take the bed. I'll sleep on the sofa."

The redhead felt like crying. Draco picked up her nightie and handed it back to her, still refusing to meet her eyes. She covered herself, feeling self-conscious and ashamed. He left her perched on the table, walking towards the sofa near the fireplace. Ginny hopped down, throwing the nightie on as she stalked after him; she noticed it was several feet longer.

"If that was an act of vengeance, then you did a hell of a job! You've…"

"It wasn't vengeance, Ginevra," he interrupted.

"So you're just going to ignore these feelings that you can't explain, that I can't even explain - "

"If I don't feel them, then I won't have to remember them!" he interrupted again.

"What?" she asked confusedly, but still angry. "What does that mean?"

"If I were to be with you tonight, which believe me I really want to be, I would never be able to forget it. These feelings…I've never…what have you done to me?" he tumbled over his words, thinking aloud.

"What have I done to you? What have you done to me!?" Ginny replied. "When has a Gryffindor ever asked a Slytherin to be with her, and in what universe would a Slytherin refuse? If someone had told me I'd be in this situation an hour ago I would have told them to go check into St. Mungo's for a round of shock spells."

Draco laughed at her remark, and she saw that a true smile was on his down-turned face. When he looked up to speak again, however, Ginny saw sadness in his eyes. "You've just stated the problem entirely. I am Draco Malfoy, Ginevra Weasley," he said. "Malfoy. People fear my name, and for good reason. My name means fear and darkness; yours means goodness and light."

"Your father's name means fear and darkness," Ginny replied.

"I am to be a deatheater too!"

Ginny was silent for a long while as he surveyed her reaction.

"Do you want to be a deatheater?" she finally asked softly.

"I would give anything not to be, but that does not matter. I am powerless to stop it."

The young woman did not reply.

"Would you be capable of giving Tom Riddle's soul to an eleven-year-old girl?" she finally asked.

"What?" Draco asked, and Ginny was shocked at his lack of understanding.

"Your father… he had a diary which contained a piece of Tom Riddle's soul," she said hesitantly. "And he gave it to me..."

"Do you mean - "

"Yes. I helped open the Chamber of Secrets in my first year."

The blond stared at her in utter disbelief for more than a minute, an emotion that wasn't usually evident on his pale face.

"That just proves my point," he finally said bitterly, more than a hint of anger in his voice, but she knew it wasn't for her.

"How?"

"Do you think my father would let you sully the Malfoy name? He's obviously already tried to kill you once already, and that was without provocation."

Ginny sat brooding, but didn't answer.

"Don't you see, Ginevra?" he said slightly exasperatedly, "If we were together tonight then we would never be together again. I couldn't let us be together again for your safety. Then I would always wonder what could have happened if things were different, and in a few years I'd find out you are married to some prick like Potter- "

"What does it matter who I marry? You'd be lying if you said you weren't arranged to be married to Bulstrode, or Parkinson, or- " she interrupted.

"Parkinson…a week after graduation, at our initiation," he replied tonelessly.

"You're not wasting any time…" Ginny said.

"I have no choice,' Draco answered. "It is my destiny to be a deatheater. You and I are destined to be apart."

"But fate brought us together," Ginny muttered.

Draco was looking at her strangely when she met his gaze again, but she didn't think that he had heard her.

"What if you went to Dumbledore?" the redhead recommended.

"That cracked pot, old- "

"He's not," Ginny said firmly.

"What could he do?" the blond snorted.

"He could put you into hiding," she suggested.

"Yeah…He does that really well," the blond laughed derisively. "Scar-head found that stupid stone when we were eleven."

"That was luck, pure and simple. I'll bet Dumbledore is guarding loads of stuff that we'll never ever know about," she defended.

"I don't want to discuss this further. Just drop it, okay?" he fair snapped.

Ginny glared at him for a moment. "One stupid kiss…" she muttered.

"Yes, one stupid kiss changed everything. Changed me. Changed you. Changed bloody everything," he stated flatly. "Where'd you learn to kiss like that anyway? Please tell me it wasn't Potter…anyone but Potter - "

The redhead laughed, "It wasn't. He's never liked me that way."

"Well that proves it," Draco said.

"Proves what?" Ginny asked, a little wary about the possibly impertinent answer.

"I always knew Potter was a fool."

Ginny smiled to herself, but didn't answer.

"Do you regret it?" she asked softly after a while, hoping he'd say no, but not sure why.

"No," he stated immediately. "I don't, and I never will. Do you?"

"Never will," Ginny replied, hugging her legs to her chest and looking morose.

Draco looked at her with something closer to pity than his eyes had ever expressed. Not only had the redhead somehow sparked passion and gentleness in him, but cascades of other feelings along with it, including empathy and sorrow.

"Please come to bed with me," she said after a while, wearily standing.

"Ginevra, we just finished discussing this- "

"I meant actually sleep," she cut in with a small laugh. "Please?"

He regarded her for a minute and realized with apprehension that he would not refuse her; that he wanted to be near her as well.

* * *

I was tempted to title this chapter "the dialogue that wouldn't die", but thought better of it. I tried to keep them from being OOC as much as possible, but I think all DG fics are OOC anyway. I also noticed that I was getting twice as many hits for the first chapter as the second, so I added a small paragraph to the beginning to hook in the reader better. It's nothing major by any means, you don't even have to go back and read it b/c there is no new info. Just a hook, like I said. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far! 

Please Review.


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